Monstrous Engravings: Basilisk.

This is a Basilisk, drawn from a woodcut by Ulisse Aldrovandi, Serpentum, et draconum historiae libri duo, 1640. Early accounts of the beast In European bestiaries and legends describe it as the king of serpents, and it was said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. However, this work shows the Basilisk of Medieval Europe, in which description of the creature began taking on features from cockerels, and often has an actual crown.